In recent years, electric automobiles using electric energy saved in storage cells as driving energy have become widespread. When such electric automobiles are used to move, it sometimes needs to charge a storage cell onboard at a charging facility.
Currently, although it depends on the charging amount, charging of the storage cell onboard generally takes longer time than refueling a conventional car with gasoline. Therefore, technologies for effectively using the time for charging the storage cell onboard have been proposed.
As one example of such technologies, there is the technology that presents information on the charging facilities located within a movable range to which the vehicle moves with the remaining amount in a storage cell onboard with information of the names of peripheral facilities of the charging facility (refer to Patent Document #1 (hereinafter, it is referred to as “the prior art example #1”)). In the technology disclosed in the prior art example #1, the charging time at each charging facility is calculated based on the remaining amount in the storage cell onboard. Subsequently, the names of peripheral facilities and the charging times are linked and displayed at each charging facility located within a reachable range. Moreover, the charging facility specified by a user with reference to the displayed information is set as the charging facility at which to be visited.
In addition, as another example of the conventional technologies, there is the technology that presents the position information for the charging facilities along the travel route bounds for the destination by the vehicle, and tourist facility information around the charging facility (refer to Patent Document #2 (hereinafter, it is referred to as “the prior art example #2”)). In the technique disclosed in the prior art example #2, the position information of the charging facility, and the names and positions of tourist facilities surround the charging facility are also displayed with guidance regarding the travel route bound for the destination by the vehicle.